


Holy Kisses

by Kitsune_Moonstar



Category: Trinity Blood
Genre: 30 Kisses Challenge, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Canon - Anime, F/M, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2013-09-22
Packaged: 2017-12-26 02:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 20,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/960264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_Moonstar/pseuds/Kitsune_Moonstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thirty stories for Abel and Caterina for the thirty kisses challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Breathless

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Trinity Blood or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 3: Punk.

**Breathless**

It really had not been Caterina's day at all. She had far too much on her plate from the start, and things had quickly gone from bad to worse. With her Uncle's visit, Caterina hadn't had the time that she'd wanted to spend with Abel. He never took death well, especially the death of people he felt he could have saved. Everything was falling apart around her, and Caterina felt off balance and helpless.

She had known something was wrong when her uncle had asked to meet her, and Caterina had been expecting a trap of some sort, but she hadn't expected an attempt on her life. Nor had she expected Isaak Fernand von Kämpfer. She had been off balance the entire time, and she hadn't known how to deal with the situation at all. If it hadn't been for Abel, Kämpfer would have succeeded in killing her.

Caterina had no doubt that Abel had saved her life again. She didn't really know what she would have done if he hadn't arrived when he did. But her heart had been in her throat from the moment he'd put himself between her and Kämpfer, and she had been rather terrified when he'd taken the attack meant for her. She had never seen him hurt this badly before. Truth, Caterina had not actually seen Abel in battle much, but she had yet to see him in a fight that actually physically taxed him. Mentally and emotionally was another story but still.

Abel had shielded her with his own body, and as much as Caterina didn't want to die, it hurt to see Abel in pain because of her. But then again, she didn't want to hurt Abel, and she knew that her death would do that. So she found herself trapped by indecision. All she could do was stand their and let him fight for her. It was the worst thing she had ever watched. She was breathless with her heart in her throat the entire time. She can't even remember what knocked her out.

But it was coming around and seeing Abel laying there on the concrete that really broke her heart. She had been utterly terrified that he was dead. Neither of them ever spoke of it, but both she and Abel knew that she had feelings stronger than friendship for him. Caterina had known for years though that Abel wasn't ready to let someone that far into his heart, and Caterina had been content with the friendship they shared. She could be just Caterina with Abel instead of Cardinal Sforza or the Duchess of Milan. She couldn't lose Abel. Not now. Even if the AX didn't need him, she did.

By the time other members of the AX found the two them, Caterina had gotten herself better under control. Abel was immediately taken to the infirmary, and Caterina had gone with him. While there was plenty to get sorted out, she could trust Father Havel to handle most of details. Caterina kept vigil at his bedside. The nurses assured her that he seemed perfectly fine, but she couldn't bring himself to leave. She was half afraid that if she left his side, that something might happen to him.

Caterina couldn't hold back her relief when he opened his eyes, and at the soft noise she made.

"Caterina? You're all right?" Abel squeezed her hand. "That punk didn't hurt you?"

She smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. You saved me again."

Then Caterina leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Thank you, Abel."


	2. Why Can't I?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 27: Slide.

**Why Can't I?**

Esther's words had sparked terror in Abel. It had taken a sheer force of will for him not to immediately run off to find Caterina, but part of him had understood that in order to help her, he needed to know what was going on. So he had waited until Esther could finish delivering her message before tearing off to find Caterina. He had easily been able to surmise that she was the main target of this scheme. The Contra Mundi had been trying to kill Caterina for years, and Abel wasn't about to let them succeed now. The others could take care of the Silent Noise.

Caterina was too important to risk losing. She was the best advocate for peace that they had, and even if there weren't political reasons for protecting her, Abel wouldn't have been able to leave her to face her fate on her own. Caterina was too important to him. She had been the one to give him a place in the world and something to hope for again. Abel honestly didn't know if he would have ever rejoined the rest of the world if it hadn't been for Caterina, and while he was still hurting over Noelle's death, he couldn't lose Caterina too.

He arrived in time to hear Archbishop d'Este threaten Caterina's life. That was enough for Abel to activate his nanomachines. His anger only grew when the illusion was dropped. He wouldn't lose Caterina to Isaak too. He could not lose anyone else to this man. He would not let him near Caterina. He wouldn't let anyone harm her. Abel might not be willing to delve to how deep his feelings for this woman ran, but his protective instincts where in full effect when it came to Caterina.

For once he let his fury overwhelm him and slid into a place where the fight was all he really was aware of. But even in his fury, Abel found that he was unable to kill the man. It was a promise he couldn't break. Even though this time the price for keeping that promise might be high. But the Silent Noise was stopped, and Abel couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. But this whole battle had cost him dearly. Isaak might be defeated for now, unconscious on the concrete floor, but Abel's vision was going dark, and he didn't know what was going to happen next.

Caterina was beside him when he woke. Her hand tightly holding his own. Abel let out a sigh of relief. They were both all right. Caterina looked like she had been crying which made Abel frown. But she smiled at him when she realized he was awake.

"Caterina? You're all right?" Abel squeezed her hand. "That punk didn't hurt you?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. You saved me again."

Then Caterina leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Thank you, Abel."

He smiled back at her. She didn't need to thank him for that, but Caterina would never believe that, so instead he just held her hand a little tighter. She was here with him and she was safe. That was all the thanks he needed.

"You're welcome."


	3. A Wild Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 2: Urban.

**

A Wild Rose

**

Caterina let out a soft sigh as she stepped into the garden. No matter what had been going on during her day coming here always made her feel better. It was an oasis of green in the city of Rome, and while it was not the most extravagant of the gardens or the largest, it was in Caterina's mind the most beautiful. It was a little oasis of green amidst the urban metropolis of Rome. And it was her sanctuary from the world at large. When she needed a break from her position, this was where Caterina went.

She removed her miter and then bent to take off her shoes. Her feet immediately felt much better, and Caterina shoved her socks into the shoes. Her outfit might look impressive, but it was not comfortable, and Caterina was often tempted to see if she could get away with completely redesigning the robes. It was one of the few things she missed about being a simple sister of the church.

Now barefoot, Caterina wandered the grassy paths of the garden enjoying the quiet of the garden and the beauty of the plants. She finally settled on the garden's grassy lawn near where there was a patch of clover and daisies. She let out a soft sigh and lay back in the grass. She was just so tired. It seemed there was always something else that she needed to handle. Caterina knew that the work she did was important, and she honestly believed in what she was working for. But there were days when all Caterina could see were her failures and everything seemed to weigh down on her shoulders.

Staring up at the clouds, she let her mind go blank. For the moment, there was nothing that demanded her attention. She finally had some time to herself. No one would come looking for her here because next to no one knew that she came here on a regular basis. Caterina closed her eyes and let everything go.

She had no idea how much time had passed when a light touch on her shoulder caused her to open her eyes. Abel smiled down at her. She hadn't heard him arrive. The grass didn't carry sound the way concrete did. But Abel just smiled at her and sat down on the grass beside her. Clearly there wasn't an emergency that they needed her for. Caterina reached out for his hand.

There were very few people she could lean on, and Abel was one of them. With Abel, Caterina rarely needed to be anything except herself. He probably knew her better than anyone else, and Caterina was thankful for having his strength to lean on. He seemed to appreciate that Caterina had come here for a respite and didn't speak. The two of them sat there in silence, but it really was rather nice.

Abel began to absently create a circlet of flowers, his fingers deftly creating a chain of daisies. Caterina sat up and shifted so she was leaning against Abel's shoulder. He kissed her cheek and set the crown of flowers on to of her head. She wasn't alone any more nor did she have the garden to herself any longer, but Caterina didn't mind.


	4. Arr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after the sometime after the anime. Theme 6: Pirate.

**

Arr

**

Caterina had winced when she say the date on the calendar today. She knew exactly what it meant. It was that day once again. Caterina sighed. To make a very long story short, Abel came down with temporary insanity on the same day every year. Caterina didn't know how else to explain it, but she knew it had something to do with Abel's past. Apparently, there had been some sort of important holiday on this date in the past. It must have been a rather odd holiday, but none the less it was important to Abel. Other than that, she really had no other concrete information on the subject.

Abel was bad enough on his own when it came to this day, but he always got the other AX members involved as well. Some of the other' had even really gotten into the tradition and celebrated with just as much vigor as Abel. It was hard to get anything accomplished when September twenty-first rolled around, and Caterina had no doubt that this year would prove the same. Caterina had learned to live with the annual insanity. She was just waiting for the chaos to start at this point.

Her first sign that things were beginning start came when people started appearing in costumes. Abel always dressed up, but it seemed that Abel had brought costumes for everyone this year. Hugue appeared to be the Dread Pirate Roberts while Wordsworth had been transformed into Long John Silver complete with peg leg and parrot. Caterina hadn't seen any of the others just yet, but she was sure that Abel had characters and costumes picked out for everyone in the AX.

She made a mental note to make sure that they had no guests today. She didn't any diplomatic incidents due to Abel freaking someone else. She didn't think any visits from diplomats had been planned, but things had been rather hectic lately, and Caterina wasn't entirely sure what her schedule looked like today. Sister Kate would remind her if there was anything vitally important. Other than that, Caterina was just hoping to survive the day without a headache.

Esther Blanchett dashed into Caterina's office. The young queen was making an unofficial visit. Caterina was fairly certain it was mostly to see old friends and spend sometime with people she knew and trusted. Caterina could understand that. Quite honestly, she didn't mind Esther popping over on occasion.

"Lady Caterina, is there something wrong with the AX agents today?"

It suddenly occurred to Caterina that Esther hadn't been here for this particular phenomenon before. She smiled wryly.

"No, this pretty typical for this time of year." Caterina gestured to the chair across from the desk. "Have a seat, your Majesty, and I'll attempt to explain."

Esther made a face. "Please. You don't have to call me that."

Caterina shrugged. "If you insist."

Five minutes later, Esther was shaking her head. "Are you serious?"

Caterina just smiled. "Yes. I won't be surprised if Abel has costumes picked out for the both of us before too long. If the references he gives you don't make any sense, just smile and nod. Abel sometimes forgets that not everyone remembers the things he does."

Abel chose that moment to burst into her office. He was even in costume himself. Caterina recognized it from a few years past. According to Abel, he was the Pirate King from the Pirates of Penzance. He beamed at the two of them.

"Great. You're both here. I have costumes for you."

She just sighed. Caterina had expected this. She took the bag of clothes. "Please tell me you didn't make me someone ridiculous this year."

Abel just grinned. "You're Morgan Adams from Cutthroat Island. She's a pirate captain. Esther's Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean since I made Ion Will Turner. Now go get changed."

Caterina just shook her head. "All right then."

Abel beamed at her and kissed her check before striding out of the room, muttering "Arr harr harr."

Esther looked a little shell-shocked. Caterina gestured to her bathroom. "You can change first if you'd like, Esther."

The girl headed into the bathroom, clutching the bag with her costumes. Caterina sighed, but there was a slight smile on her face. Next it would be time for the pirate sing-a-long. It was going to be a very long day. But she had to admit, it was fun, and a little craziness once in a while couldn't hurt.


	5. Penitent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set at the end of the anime. Theme 18: Ink.

**

Penitent

**

The letter had arrived in a crisp envelope, neatly addressed to him with Caterina's precise cursive writing. The letter itself was slightly wrinkled, and there were a few blotches on it where the ink had smeared that Abel would have sworn were tearstains. But that was nothing compared to the letter itself. He had known Caterina for a number of years, and correspondence was an art form for her. However, this letter was stilted and full of overly formal phrases, especially when written to an old friend.

But the meaning of the letter was clear even so. Caterina felt the need to confess what she felt was a transgression on her part. In order to save his life, she had opened Lilith's capsule and extracted her nanomachines. Abel had already guessed that much. Caterina was the only one with the code, and he didn't known any other way he would have been able to come back. She had made the right choice as far as he was concerned. The real problem was that Caterina seemed to think that she had done something unforgivable in his eyes and was doing a good job of beating herself up over it.

Her letter was enough to convince Abel that he and Ion would need to make a detour through Rome. Abel needed Caterina to understand his opinion on the matter. She had enough things to worry about without blaming herself for something Abel approved of. On the one hand, he could see how she might think that it was a transgression. But Abel had never held any hope of Lilith returning to life, and Lilith herself would have volunteered her nanomachines if she could have. And quite honestly, Abel didn't want this to strain his friendship with Caterina. He loved her too much for that.

So they detoured through Rome. Besides, it would give Abel a chance to pick up any of the latest intelligence that the AX had as well as pick up supplies. Caterina was easy enough to find. As usual she was in her study far later than she should be, but Abel knew that she prided herself on working just as hard as any of her field agents. She worked too hard in his mind, but Abel doubted he'd ever convince her of that. He just watched her for a few minutes. She had made a few concessions to the fact that it was after hours. Her miter was no where in sight, and he would bet that she was barefoot as well at the moment.

The soft light of her lamp reflected off her golden hair, and Abel smiled.

"Surely, the paperwork can wait until morning."

Her head shot up, startled. Abel smiled at her.

"Abel, what are you doing here?"

He moved closer to her. Abel didn't want her to try to run. Caterina was very good at avoiding conversations, but this was one that he didn't intend to let her. He loved Caterina far more than she realized, and she needed to know both that and the fact that he didn't blame her.

"Well, Ion and I needed to get a few things, and Rome really wasn't that much of a detour. Besides, I got your letter and wanted to see you."

Caterina wrung her hands. "Oh, you did get it? Did you have any questions about it because I thought I covered everything in my letter? I know it was rather presumptuous of me, but I really felt that I needed to explain why-"

He kissed her to stop the flow of words. Caterina froze, and Abel used the opportunity tug her out of her chair and steal her seat. He captured her in his arms, pulling her into his lap and trapping her there. Abel wasn't going to let her run away from this conversation.

"I'm not mad at you, sweetheart." He pressed a kiss to her temple then he turned her face so their eyes met. "Caterina. You did the right thing. Lilith would have told you to do it if she could have. I wasn't ready to give up a chance at a future. You made the right choice."

He held her gaze, making sure that understood that he meant that. Abel wasn't sure he was completely ready to open up his heart again, but he did know that he wasn't ready to give up the home Caterina had given him and the friends and family through the AX. Finally, Caterina nodded. Abel continued to hold her close. He didn't know when he'd be back or how long it would take him and Ion to track down Cain and deal with him. But Abel wanted to remember what home felt like when he was gone, and the search could wait a few moments longer.


	6. Misery Loves Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 29: Trivia.

**

Misery Loves Company

**

Caterina hated being stuck with bed rest. She hated being stuck in bed without anything to do, and she hated the feeling that she was useless. It was not her fault that she had caught this stupid bug or that the vaccine she'd been given earlier this year was faulty. Caterina might no be contagious any more, but she also wasn't well enough to go back to work according to the doctor. That left her with nothing really to do. Caterina was tired of reading, and no one had visited her save for the doctor and Sister Kate.

Kate hadn't done much beside bring her tea and check on her occasionally. Not that Caterina blamed her. Kate was practically running the office while Caterina was sick. But Caterina was bored and lonely, and it was beginning to wear on her. There were reasons she hated being on bed rest. She sighed again.

A familiar silver head appeared in her doorway. Abel peered into her room.

"How are you feeling, Caterina?"

She made a face. "I'm bored."

Caterina knew she was whining, but she couldn't help it. She really was bored. Abel frowned slightly. "I'll be right back."

She blinked. That wasn't exactly the reaction she had expected. But true to his word, Abel returned only minutes later with a stack of boxes. He set them down on the bed before settling on top of the covers.

"I don't really know which games you like, so I brought a variety. What do you want to play first?"

Caterina didn't even recognize half the games Abel had brought. Still, playing a game with Abel was bound to be more entertaining than sitting here with nothing to do.

She shrugged. "You can pick."

That was how she ended up playing Monopoly with Abel. At some point, Father Hugue and Sister Agnes had wandered by and got roped into playing a card game called Fluxx with them. Abel had shanghaied Wordsworth and Havel into joining about an hour after that, and that was how they ended up engaged in a trivia game that was several centuries out of date. In some ways, that made things much more fun. After all, the only one who really had any idea of what any of the answers were was Abel, and there seemed to be a good deal of things he didn't know either. They had all quickly gotten sucked into the game.

"What construction substance," Abel read off a card, "solidifies and hardens after mixing with water and placement due to a chemical process known as hydration?"

Sister Agnes wrinkled her nose. Woodsworth frowned. Both Havel and Hugue were blank faced.

"The answer is concrete," Sister Kate spoke, causing about half the people sitting on the bed to start.

Caterina let out a weak giggle. It seemed no one else had notice Kate appearing in the doorway. Abel beamed at her.

"You're right. Would you like to join the game, Sister Kate?"

She shook her head. "I just came to check on Lady Caterina and bring her next dose of medicine."

Caterina made a face. She knew the medicine helped, but it tasted awful. Still, she drank the orange liquid while Abel cajoled Kate into joining them. This really wasn't what Caterina had in mind when she wanted something to do, but at least she could kiss boredom goodbye.


	7. Family Affairs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is slightly AU. Theme 1: Conspiracy/Intrigue.

**

Family Affairs

**

Caterina was somewhere between numb and hysterical. To tell the truth, she wasn't sure what she was feeling. The entire past week had been chaotic and draining, and she no longer really knew where she stood with anything anymore. For once, one of the risks she had taken had backfired on her, and Caterina was reeling under the consequences. The whole affair had exploded in her face after the Inquisitors had come barreling in and there was loss of life. Francesco had seen to it that she was stripped of her position and titles. She wasn't Cardinal Sforza anymore or the Duchess of Milan. She was just Caterina.

Abel wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Abel had been a constant presence throughout all this. If it hadn't been for his quiet support, Caterina probably would have fallen apart before now. She frowned at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't look like herself. At least, she didn't look like she was used to seeing herself. Her long hair had been pulled back into a simple braid, and she wore the same habit as Kate and the other Sisters in the AX. At least her agency had survived even if it really was no longer hers to run and take care of.

In the reflection, Abel made a face then tugged at her braid. It was enough to coax a small smile from Caterina. She wasn't alone, and she hadn't lost everything. She hadn't even lost the most important things. Her agents had closed ranks and surrounded her with support and friendship, and it was clear to Caterina that the AX was real her family, not her brothers. They were the people who stood by her and supported her. She had been right, and Caterina knew that had Francesco's people not barged in like they had, there wouldn't have been any loss of life.

So her life was going to change, but she knew that she wouldn't have to face it alone. She could still work towards the goal of peace with the Methuselah, even if some of might have to be under the table now. But she and her family could still make peace a reality.

As if reading her thoughts, Abel pressed a kiss to her temple. "You are ours, Caterina. This doesn't change anything. You're our friend because of you're Caterina, not because you were Cardinal Sforza."

She nodded. "I know. Thank you."

He just smiled. "You don't need to thank me. You earned the friends you have yourself."

Her life was changing, but she knew she wouldn't have to face it alone, and really, that was all that mattered.


	8. Fun in the Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 16: Smoothie.

**

Fun in the Sun

**

Caterina was pretty sure that this whole idea was ridiculous, but it was better than sweltering back at the Vatican. It really was too hot to work, especially since all of the air condition had somehow broken. So Alessandro had declared a beach day and dragged everyone, AX and Inquisitors alike, off to the beach for a day of fun in the sun. And Caterina had to admit, it was nice to see everyone enjoying themselves.

She herself had found a nice partially shaded spot, laid out a towel, and was enjoying her book. Caterina sipped at her raspberry smoothie as she turned the page. So far, things had gone fairly well, and no one had caused too much mischief. Everyone was playing nicely with one another, and a day off really couldn't hurt things too much. Besides, she liked to see her people enjoying themselves. More often than not, her interaction with the AX agents came during a crisis or some other problem or just after it.

Pulling her hat down over her eyes, Caterina lay back and let the sounds of the waves and people enjoying themselves drift over her. A nap seemed like a good idea.

* * *

Abel let out a sigh. It was a tempting idea, but really, he knew better. And Caterina probably didn't have any clue what a tempting picture she made. She was sprawled out on a beach towel in a dark red one piece and with a straw hat pulled down over her face. She looked utterly at peace, and that was just far too tempting. Especially when Abel didn't have anything else to do.

An all Vatican beach day was both odd and fun, but after playing in the surf and building sandcastles, Abel was feeling a little bored. He wasn't quite ready for a nap in the sun yet either, and Caterina kept drawing his attention. She looked incredibly peaceful laying there in the sunshine. Abel just felt too mischievous. He really couldn't help himself. Creeping up on the napping woman, Abel scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Caterina's eyes popped open, and she started to struggle. Abel started to run towards the water, wading in at least waist deep before dumping her into the water.

Caterina rose up out of the water drenched and furious. Abel couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked.

"Abel Nightroad, I am going to kill you."

He grinned at her. He knew the chances of her actually being able to kill him were on par with Caterina being able to tear up concrete with her bare hands. Of course, that didn't mean that she wasn't going to get revenge on him. Abel didn't quite manage to dodge when lunged at him in order to dunk him. The water fight escalated from there.

* * *

Caterina wrung her hair out and started braiding it into a neat tail. The ponytail it had been in earlier had been completely destroyed by the water fight. Abel flopped down on the towel beside her.

"Come on, Caterina. You have to admit that you had fun."

She gave him a look, but the water fight had been fun. Especially when some of the others had gotten involved, and the two of them had teamed up against Francesco. The image of her older brother looking like a drowned rat did bring a smile to her face. It helped that he still looked that way despite his efforts to tame his hair.

"You're right. It was fun. But did you have to interrupt my nap?"

Abel just grinned at her.

"You weren't asleep and you know it. And before you bring it, I knew you could swim, so that's not a valid complaint either." Abel leaned in and kissed her cheek. "You take yourself too seriously. It was good to see you having fun. I've missed your smile."

She could learn to like beach days. At least, every once in awhile.


	9. Pure Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 21: Occult.

**

Pure Blood

**

Part of Caterina was vastly amused by this. That was the part that she was trying to keep in charge. It was easier to be vastly amused in this situation than to worry about what happened if these people succeed. These people were clearly several bricks short of a load, but they had managed to kidnap her, and that was a little worrisome. From her current seat tied to a chair, Caterina could both see and hear everything that the group that had kidnapped her was doing.

Apparently, they were members of an anti-vampire cult. That probably explained why all of them were wearing grey robes with hoods. All of the people also seemed to sport a lot of jewelry, mostly crosses of varying sizes. They were also rather clueless when it came to vampires. While they did have some of the basic facts right, they also seemed to think that garlic would repel vampires and that they were soulless demons. Actually, it seemed like most of their information about vampires came from popular media from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Caterina would put money on the vampires if it came to a real battle.

Unfortunately, one of the things that they had done well was tying her up. Caterina had been unable to work herself free. She rather hoped that someone would rescue her soon. Apparently the reason she had been kidnapped was for some sort of sacrifice. There hadn't been too many details of this sacrifice mentioned yet, but Caterina was more than willing to pass on it anyway. The only sacrifices she was willing to make had to do with the safety and wellbeing of her people. She would give her life for her agents or the people of the world in general. This didn't exactly fall under those criteria.

The current ongoing debate between members of the cult had mostly to do with the ceremony in which Caterina would be sacrificed. There seemed to be some disagreement over the details. Caterina kept her opinions on the matter to herself. The longer they argued about it the more time there was for someone to rescue her. Of course, the fact that one of the things they were arguing about was what color dress she should wear was rather telling. About half the group thought she should wear red and the other half thought she should be in white. If the situation wasn't so serious, Caterina would have been laughing. At least it would make for an interesting footnote in her biography when someone decided to write it.

She had just caught sight of some movement in the shadows when the arguments started to get heated. Finally, one of the leaders stalked over to her.

"You are a virgin, are you not?" he demanded.

Caterina didn't see how that was any of his business. And she certainly wasn't going to discuss her love life (albeit a rather nonexistent one) with a group of complete strangers.

"What do you think?"

"It won't work if she's not a virgin," one of the women said.

"The book says 'chaste' and 'the blood of a pure woman of god'," another woman commented. "That could mean purity of heart or spirit instead of purity of body."

Caterina bit her lip to keep from laughing. She had to admit, the cultists were very entertaining, especially since they really didn't seem to know what they were doing. If she wasn't worried about surviving this experience, Caterina would be enjoying herself, especially if she had some popcorn. The man in front of her stalked off to rejoin the argument, and Caterina studiously ignored the fact that there was something moving in the shadows. It wasn't too long before she felt the ropes around her wrists loosen.

"Are you all right?" Abel's voice whispered in her ear.

"I'm fine."

"I'll have you free in another minute."

"Thanks."

The ropes around her feet came free, and Caterina kicked them away as she stood. She was unfortunately barefoot, but there really wasn't anything to be done about that at the moment. The stone floor was cold against her feet, but she did her best to ignore it. As Abel led her towards, she stepped on something that hurt, and Caterina let out a hissed exclamation. It wasn't that loud, but it was enough to attract attention of some in the group. Caterina found herself shoved behind Abel.

"Hold, foul demon, we will not let you keep this maiden in your thrall!"

Abel blinked. Caterina just sighed.

"Yes, he is serious." She peered over his shoulder. "And I don't think they are going to believe me when I tell them that we've been friends for years, and it was my choice."

"It has clouded your mind."

She sighed again and resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall. Caterina knew Abel. He wouldn't want to use force against a bunch of kooky occultist, and they were thoroughly convinced that he was an evil, undead creature. She could already see several ways for this to end badly. Abel did not need to feel guilty over yet another thing in his life, and these idiots should be in jail, not dead or injured. But they would try to keep her as long as they thought she was of use to them.

That sparked an idea, and Caterina draped an arm over Abel's chest.

"But he hasn't. Abel has already made me his lover, and soon he will make me immortal like he is."

Everyone else in the room stared at her, including Abel. She kicked his ankle.

"Oh. Right."

It's not that convincing, but the cultists are stunned enough that Caterina decides they can make a break for it.

Grabbing Abel's hand, she whispers, "Run."

The next thing she knew Abel had scooped her up in his arms, and they were moving faster than she could run. Caterina just pressed her face against his shoulder and held on. When Abel set her down and she opened her eyes, they are out in the sunlight and there are other AX agents hurrying towards them. She smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you, Abel."

He blushes but smiles back. "You're welcome, but next time could you please get kidnapped by sane people? Their easier to deal with."

Caterina just laughed. "I'll see what I can manage."

At least everything had ended well.


	10. Dawning Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set right during Abel and Caterina's first meeting. Theme 25: Life After Death.

**

Dawning Day

**

He hadn't exactly noticed her at first. His attention had been on those he was fighting, not the girl who would have been their victim. But once they were gone, all that was left was the little girl huddle at the base of the tree. She looked up at him with tear filled grey eyes, and Abel knew that there was something special about this girl. He offered her his hand.

She was hesitant, but she took it, and Abel helped her to her feet.

"What's your name, little one?"

"Caterina. My name is Caterina."

Abel led her away from the bodies. "Is there anyone who can take care of you, Caterina?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know. I…I don't think there is anyone left alive at the house, but I don't know. I was outside when the screaming started."

That meant there could be other survivors, and at least the house would be able to provide some supplies for the two of them even if there weren't any survivors. Caterina could use a coat at the very least, and food would probably be good for them both. He could worry about what to do with the girl after they'd had a full stomach and a good night's rest.

Abel didn't know why those vampires had been after her, but he wasn't going to leave her unguarded until he knew she was safe. She had been willing to trust him, and Abel wasn't going to betray that trust. As they reached the manor house, Abel could smell blood in the air. He hesitated. He really did not want to take Caterina in there. She didn't need to see the aftermath of the attack, but he didn't want to leave her alone either. As far as he could tell, there were no more vampires lurking around, but he wasn't really willing to take chances with her.

"Where were you before the attack?" he asked gently.

"Out on the terrace. I can show you."

Thankfully, there were no bodies along the way. Abel didn't think that would be the case once he got inside though. But the terrace seemed safe enough, and there was really only two ways that someone could come at Caterina here. Furthermore, he'd be able to see her from inside the building if she stayed here. He squeezed her hand.

"I want you to stay here, Caterina. I'm going inside." He noticed her frown, and her grip on his hand tightened. "I won't be more than ten minutes. I promise. Okay?"

"You'll come back?" Caterina bit her lip.

Abel nodded. "I'll come back."

Inside the building was the carnage that Abel was expecting. All of the adults were dead. There were a handful of servants as well as a well dressed man and woman. He would guess they were Caterina's parents. She was the only one left alive. Abel sighed. He didn't want to tell her that, but she needed to know. Once he had made sure that there were no other survivors in the house, Abel hurried back to where he'd left Caterina. She was leaning up against the terrace railing with her arms wrapped around herself.

She looked up when he came out on the terrace and let out a sigh. "You came back."

Abel smiled gently. "I said I would. I'm very, Caterina, but there wasn't any one else who survived the attack."

Caterina closed her eyes. "No one?"

"I'm sorry."

She was shaking slightly, and when she opened her eyes, a few tears slipped out. "Okay."

Abel gently wrapped an arm around her trembling form. She leaned into him. She wasn't afraid of him, something that rather baffled Abel given that she had a number of concrete reasons to fear just about everyone right now, but that wasn't important right now. He couldn't leave her. Not now. She was just as alone in the world as he was. Abel kissed the top of her head.

"Come on. Let's get some supplies, and then we'll leave this place."

Caterina nodded. Abel didn't know exactly where they were going to go from here, but at least they had one another for now.


	11. Guardian of Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 30: Click.

**Guardian of Sleep**

Caterina's bare feet made little sound against the floor. She didn't bother to click on the light as she slipped into the room and shut the door behind her. Abel simply waited until she climbed under the covers and curled up next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her up against his chest. It wasn't uncommon for Caterina to seek him out like this.

"Caterina?" he asked softly.

She sniffled. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

She always asked even though the answer was always yes. He kissed the top of her golden head.

"Of course."

Quite honestly, it was a comfort for them both. Her presence chased his nightmares just as his presence chased away hers. It was not easy for her. Caterina was extremely young to be in her current position. At sixteen she was already a political power with far more responsibility than most teenagers. And it wasn't like her family was giving her any support. There were times when Abel wished that he had never brought her to her uncle. Alfonso d'Este had not done a good job of taking care of any of the children under his care in Abel's mind. And there was no sibling affection for Caterina from Francesco. Alessandro clearly loved his sister, but the young boy really wasn't up to supporting himself let alone his sister. Abel was pretty much her only ally right now.

Caterina shifted in his arms, pressing her face against his shoulder. Abel just smiled. She trusted him to guard her sleep. He had not expected the girl he'd rescued that night to become his best friend. Abel was often surprised by just how well Caterina knew him. She could not replace Lilith or Seth, or even Cain, but Caterina had found her own place in his heart, and it was really Caterina that had brought him out of his mind numbing grief and back to the world. She gave him hope, and she safeguarded it for him. With a soft sigh, Abel closed his eyes. Eventually, sleep came to them both.


	12. Over the Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 5: Amok.

**Over the Wall**

Abel was finding it hard to say no to Caterina at the moment. Part of that had to do with the fact that she was giving him the puppy dog eyes at the moment. He had also been thrown off balance by her current outfit. In jeans and a sweater, Caterina actually looked like a teenager for once, and with her blond hair pulled back into a thick braid, most people wouldn't connect her with the young Duchess of Milan.

"Come on, Abel. Please."

What she wanted was for him to agree to help her sneak out. Caterina Sforza might be a growing power in the Vatican, but she was still technically her uncle's ward, and he had forbid her from leaving his home except for official Vatican business. Abel knew that it was stifling for Caterina, but there were people who were trying to kill her, and sneaking out wasn't exactly safe.

She bit her lip. "You can even come along. All I want to do is go out to a little café and listen to a live music group. They came all the way from Albion, and they'll only be in town one night. I really want to hear them. It will be perfectly safe."

Abel still wasn't sure. He understood her need to get away at times, and her need to be just Caterina for awhile instead of Lady Caterina. But he also knew just how much trouble she would get in if she was caught. Her uncle seemed to seek out ways to punish her when he could. It was clear that Caterina was quickly become a political power to rival her uncle, and he didn't like that at all. Still, Caterina rarely ever got the chance to just be herself anymore. If she wasn't working for the Vatican, she was looking after Alessandro.

"Please, Abel," she pleaded.

He sighed. It wasn't like she was going to run amok through the city after all. "All right, but I am coming with you."

Caterina threw her arms around him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you. Can you get us over the wall?"

It didn't take much for him to boost her over the concrete wall and follow after her. When Abel landed on the other side, Caterina slid her hand into his with a smile and led the way down the street and out into the city. Abel still didn't know if he would regret this tomorrow, but it would definitely be an interesting night.


	13. Majority

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 10: Slice of Life.

**Majority**

Caterina slipped out the door and into the gardens. Despite the fact that the party was for her, she needed a few moments alone. It was her eighteenth birthday, and she really wasn't enjoying the party much. It was more of a political event than a birthday party to tell the truth. She was technically an adult now, and because of that, Caterina had come into her own politically. She was now both the Duchess of Milan and a full Cardinal. Her uncle had invited just about anyone of political importance in the Vatican, and while Caterina understood why he'd done it, but part of her wished it had just been a simple gathering with her family and friends.

She would manage though. She just needed a few moments to collect herself before venturing back inside again. In a few minutes she would go back inside and join in on the schmoozing and maneuvering. She would go back to building her own reputation and base as power in her own right. Caterina didn't feel she had a choice about that. Someone had to counter all the hate, anger, and war mongering she currently saw in the Vatican. But right now she needed to be an eighteen year old girl on her birthday.

"Caterina?" Abel's soft voice made her jump.

Her friend stood in the shadows of one of the trees.

"I didn't mean to startle you."

Caterina just shrugged.

"I didn't realize anyone else was out here."

Then she frowned. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

Abel looked a little sheepish. "I wanted to give you your birthday gift in private."

He took a step toward her and held out a little package clumsily wrapped in dark blue paper. Caterina took it with a smile.

"You didn't have to get me anything you know, Abel."

"I know, but I wanted to." He shrugged and looked slightly uncomfortable. "Happy Birthday, Cat."

Caterina tore into the wrapping paper with no concern for persevering it. This time she didn't have to be staid and adult when she opened her gift. Underneath the paper was a grey box, and she hurriedly pulled off the lid. It was a silver heart pendant with a garnet and a pearl. It was strung on a matching chain. It was delicate and beautiful and it wasn't a cross. Caterina hadn't been given a piece of jewelry that wasn't a cross of some sort in year. She clutched the necklace to her chest with a happy smile. Abel was the only one today who had gotten a present that was something for Caterina instead of Cardinal Sforza.

"Thank you, Abel." Caterina darted forward and quickly kissed him on the lips.

He blushed bright red. Caterina was fairly certain she was blushing too, but she didn't care. These past few minutes had been the best part of her birthday so far. This was the memory of her birthday this year that she would remember.


	14. No One Is Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 17: Mortality/Mortal Coil.

**No One Is Alone**

Abel was not surprised to find Caterina still in her office. She tended to work late often enough, and given the news she had gotten today. A mission had gone wrong, and her agent had died. Abel didn't know the details of the incident, but given Caterina's reaction, something must have gone terribly wrong. He had left her alone for most of the day, knowing that she needed to keep her façade up during the work day, but everyone else had retired by now. And Caterina needed someone she could grieve with.

He understood better than anyone else, and he knew her feeling on the subject as well. Caterina didn't want responsibility for other people's lives, but better her than some of the other options. So she would do what she had to in order to protect lives and advance the ideas of peace between humans and Methuselah, and he would stand by her and be a shoulder to lean on when she needed one. Caterina tended to only share her tears with him. She had learned at a young age that her sorrow could and would be used against her.

She was hunched over her desk with her head in her hands. Her miter was no where in sight.

"Caterina?"

The young woman started at the sound of his voice, and when she looked up, Abel could see tears on her face.

"Oh, sweetheart."

It took mere moments for Able to cross the room and gather her up in his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder. Abel maneuvered the two of them over to one of the chairs and sat down, pulling Caterina into his lap. He held her close, gently stroking her hair, waiting as she sobbed into his jacket. She would tell him what had happened when she was ready. After some time, her sobs began to subside, and Caterina began to talk.

It had been a bad situation all together that she had sent the agent into, but there had not been time to send back up or a different agent. And her agent had succeeded in part. He had managed to save the little children that had been taken hostage by the two Methuselah. But then he had gone back for the teacher. Both her agent and the teacher had died, tortured to death by the rogue Methuselah. The backup that Caterina had hastily summoned had arrived in time to keep anyone else from dying, but both her agent and the teacher had been lost.

Caterina was now second guessing every move and decision she had made. Abel knew that she hated it when the mortality of her people was rubbed in her face like this. He knew that there really was nothing he could do to help her other than offer support and comfort. Holding people's lives in your hands was part of being a leader, and it was one of the hardest parts in the long rub. He kissed the top of her head. Caterina could not stop making these hard decisions, and they would continue to take a toll on her. But at least he made sure that she knew that she was never truly alone in some concrete way. That would have to be enough.


	15. Dancing in the Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 24: Inner Demon/Inner Child.

**Dancing in the Moonlight**

Caterina figured that she had simply gone insane. That was not too unlikely given what she had to deal with on a regular basis. But then again, if she didn't do something silly and frivolous soon, Caterina was probably going to snap and start killing people. She was tired, stressed, and overworked, and she had not done anything even remotely resembling fun in at least the last three weeks.

So when Abel had wandered in to her office and decided to take her paperwork hostage, Caterina had simply decided to run with it. Her hat was one of the first things to go. She had always hated that thing anyway. It did not take her long at all to divest herself of the more cumbersome and uncomfortable of parts of her outfit, piling them along with her miter on her chair. Then she and Abel snuck out of the Vatican.

There was probably no reason for them to be sneaking around. The only person that they had passed in the halls was a stray member of an Inquisitorial squad. But for some reason walking past him had caused both of them to burst into giggles. That was when Abel had grabbed her hand and led her out into the gardens at the back of the Vatican. To her utter surprise, once they were on the grass, Abel dropped her hand and started tugging off his shoes.

"Come on, Cat," he called her by her childhood nickname. "Those boots of yours can't be very comfortable."

So she ditched her boots and walked barefoot on the grass. The grass and bare feet felt wonderful after hours spent in heeled boots on concrete or stone floors. The moon was full tonight, and between that and lights from the Vatican, there was plenty of illumination. With a soft sigh, Caterina dug her toes into the grassy lawn and stretched her arms up above her head, wincing a little when she heard her spine pop. Her eyes were closed, and so she did not having a warning for Abel's next move.

He scooped her up in his arms, lifting her up off the ground on arm around her waist and the other under her knees. Caterina's eyes popped open, and she stared down at his smiling face. Without any other warning, he spun them around in circles on the grass, and Caterina could not do anything other than laugh. She hadn't laughed like this in ages. This was pure silliness on both their parts, and Caterina would blame stress and the full moon. Neither of them acted like this often. Especially not since Caterina had gotten older. But indulging her inner child was exactly what she needed tonight.

As they came to a stop, Caterina leaned forward and kissed him. "Abel. Thank you."

He kissed her nose. "No problem, Cat."


	16. Come Away With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 12: Mask.

**Come Away With Me**

Caterina bit her lip. She did not like what she was seeing at all. Abel was completely exhausted and demoralized which he had concrete reasons to be, but he was not to allowing himself to be taken care of. She worried about him when he got like this. He tended to hold on to things and brood upon them for far too long at times. It was clear to her that Abel was exhausted and heartsick. She knew that the last few missions had been incredibly difficult for him, especially this latest one that had finally been completed. Abel had been forced to transform in front of civilians, and as always he had taken their reaction to his Crusnik form badly.

Not that Caterina could really blame him for that. It was hard to hear other people calling you a monster when there were times when you yourself were not sure if you were one or not. But Caterina did not have any doubts about Abel. He would never be a monster. She just wished she could convince him of that at times. But at least she could provide him with comfort and a place of safety and rest. That was what she was planning on doing tonight, despite what ever protests Abel tried to muster.

So when Abel finally finished giving his report, Caterina already had a hot meal waiting for them. It did not take much to convince him to eat with her in her private study rather than braving the common cafeteria. A good meal did seem to help him to some extent. At least Abel's stomach had stopped rumbling, but he still looked so sad and dejected as he got ready to head back to his own quarters.

Caterina sighed.

"Abel." Her voice was stern. "Come here."

She wrapped him a warm hug. Abel let out a deep sigh and just held on to her. Caterina soothingly ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She hugged him tighter at that. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Abel. You work just as hard as anyone in the AX, if not harder. I just wish I could do more for you."

She paused a moment then added. "You know you never have to wear your cheerful mask with me or be anything except just Abel with me. You'll always have a home wherever I am."

"I know. I can't thank you enough for that."

Caterina smiled and pulled back enough that she could see his face. "You don't need to. That is what friends are for."

She kissed his forehead. "Now go get some rest. We both know you need it. And if I see you running off on a mission before the end of the week, I swear I'll kidnap you myself and make you take a vacation. We could run off and see how long it takes anyone to notice us missing."

That prompted a small smile out of him as Caterina had hoped. She gave him another hug and let him go on his way. And hopefully in the morning, Abel would feel better. If not, she was really was seriously considering kidnapping him for a vacation. It was probably the only way she would get one as well, and it might do them both some good.


	17. We All Scream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 22: Lick.

**We All Scream**

Abel pouted at her from across her desk. Caterina sighed. Technically, they were in the middle of debriefing his latest mission, but they clearly were not going to get any farther at the moment. She knew what Abel wanted. And honestly, she also knew that she was going to give in to him. It was over eighty degrees out, and even her study was uncomfortable at this point in the day. Abel gave her the puppy dog eyes. Caterina smiled.

"All right, Abel. Let's go get ice cream."

Abel did not let out a sequel of glee. However, the sound he made was close. Caterina just shook her head and rose to her feet. Technically, it was gelato, not ice cream, but the two desserts were fairly similar. The two of them quietly made their way out of the Vatican. They did not want to attract attention as that might mean other people tagging along for the trip. Over the years, word about these trips to get ice cream had gotten out, and while some people didn't believe they actually existed, others wanted in on them. Neither Abel nor Caterina really felt like sharing the tradition with others though.

They did have a favorite gelato shop. It was not exactly close to the Vatican, but their gelato more than made up for the length of the walk, and really it wasn't a bad walk. At least, it wasn't when it was not over eighty degrees outside. Still, they made their way down the streets to the little gelato shop. As the two of them entered the store, the cool atmosphere was a welcome change from the hot cement outside.

Abel's eyes lit up at the array of all of the different flavors. Caterina just smiled at that. Ice cream in any form was one of his favorite treats. She let him peruse the case. She knew what she would be ordering. Caterina's favorite was the lemon. Two times out of three she would order that. Abel couldn't choose a favorite, no matter how many different ones he sampled. Still, it was always fun to watch him attempt to decide which flavor he wanted.

The shop was busy, but they got their gelato before too long. Abel had ended up ordering chocolate peanut butter in the end. The two of them slipped outside to sit at one of the little wrought iron tables outside. The gelato did not last long in this heat and with the way she inhaled it, and before too long, Caterina was left with a little dish containing a few melted drops. She set it aside with a sigh and licked the melted gelato off her fingers.

"Ready to go home?" she asked.

"Hold still." Abel leaned in kissed the corner of her mouth. "You had some gelato there. You're all set now."

Caterina blushed, but she had to admit they were both in a much better mood now. Ice cream could really work wonders at times.


	18. You're My Best Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 19: Finding Spirituality/Religion.

**You're My Best Friend**

Quite truthfully, Caterina did not really remember a lot of the day's events. Most of it was a hazy, happy blur. Most weddings were probably like that for the bride. There were a few key moments which stood out for her though, and those were moments of the day that she would remember forever. It was an entirely simple affair. Neither Caterina nor Abel had wanted much of a fuss for their wedding. They were perfectly happy with a simple ceremony held at the little villa of Caterina's in the Lake District.

A local priest performed the ceremony, and most of the people attending were other AX members. Though Caterina's brothers did attend as well as Esther and Ion along with various representatives of Albion and the Empire. But there were no more than fifty people here, and most of them were friends. It was a perfect spring day, and between the lake that stretched out in front of them and the flowers that decorated the villa's terrace garden, the setting was as beautiful as any cathedral.

She and Abel stood beneath a bower covered in climbing roses and made their vows in front of the priest. Abel wore his usual black uniform while Caterina's gown was a simple empire waist dress of ivory chiffon. Her only decorations were the wide bronze silk sash on her dress and the flowers in her hair. But Caterina knew that her smile was brilliant, and Abel's matched it. It wasn't exactly eloping, which is what they had originally planned on doing, but it was close enough, and they were happy with the results.

Over their joined hands, the two of them said their vows and exchanged their rings. The priest spoke briefly, and then, finally, the religious ceremony came to an end with the words, "You may now kiss the bride."

Abel winked at her before leaning in to kiss her. That really was Caterina's clearest memory of the whole thing. The kiss, and then the moment where they had pulled a part and smiled at one another. Caterina was here with Abel, her best friend and now her husband. There was currently peace, they were happy, and they were together. What more could she ask for?


	19. Wonder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after the end of the anime. Theme 7: Reality Is a Dream.

**Wonder**

There was a time when Abel wouldn't have been able to dream that his life was like this. But there was a sense of freedom and contentment that had been present ever since he and Ion had dealt with Cain. It had not been an easy battle in any way, shape, or form, but it was now over, and Abel finally felt like he could move forward with his life. The close of that chapter of his life was a great relief. Cain was no long a threat and a foreboding shadow looming over his life. Abel didn't think he had ever been so happy to head home.

Of course, getting home took awhile. He and Ion had chased Cain quite a ways, and it would definitely be a journey home. Though it was much less stressful and frantic than their original one. Abel found that he was more than ready to head home. Though their first destination was the Empire, not Rome. Ion was even more eager to get home and get back to his life. Abel had the feeling that some of that had to do with the young Queen of Albion. Abel rather encouraged that. The two of them would make a very fine couple together, and they would be good for one another.

But stopping in the Empire meant that Abel ended up checking in with Seth and catching up with his little sister. And the two of them really did have a lot of catching up to do. It had been decades since they had really had a chance to sit down and talk to one another, and it was several days before Able was really able to start the trip home to Rome. Not that he minded too much. It had been good to see that Seth was happy and had settled into her life. She had grown up while he hadn't been around, and Abel was both proud of her and a little sad that he had missed it.

When he left Byzantium, Abel really only had one goal in mind: getting home to Rome. And once again life seemed to be conspiring against him. Abel found himself embroiled in a number of small incidents before he had managed to actually reach the city itself. But he finally arrived one morning just before dawn. He felt nothing but calm and peace as he had made his way through the streets of the city. It was mostly quiet at this hour with the very occasional person having begun their day already.

As dawn began to break, the soft light filled the city, illuminating the streets and buildings with a warm light. Abel drew closer to the Vatican as the city of Rome began to come to life. Movement in a garden at the edge of the Vatican caught his attention, and Abel changed his path on the off chance it was who he thought it was. Caterina often spent the early hours of the morning in the Vatican gardens. She claimed that the peace and beauty of the gardens helped her sort things out in her mind.

The red of her cardinal's habit was beacon he followed amidst the plants. Caterina was simply standing there beside a rose bush with her eyes closed. Her miter and shoes had been discarded on the grass. She looked utterly peaceful for a change, and Abel hated to disturb her. He knew that this was her escape from the concrete and marble halls where she was Cardinal Sforza or Lady Caterina. This was where she could be just Caterina. He almost hated to disturb her. Still, he took a step forward.

"Good morning."

She whirled around, a smile lighting her face. Caterina opened her arms to him. Abel gathered her into his arms, enjoying the hug. Caterina sighed and relaxed into his embrace. He had missed her. Caterina had always been one of his best friends, and her companionship had always been a balm for his soul. It was so good to be home. Abel felt completely content for the first time in years. This was his home, here in her arms. And this time he was able to stay. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Caterina smiled up at him.

"Welcome home, Abel."


	20. Little Bitty Pretty One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after the end of the anime. Theme 14: Sage Advice.

**Little Bitty Pretty One**

Everyone wanted to see her. Integra Sforza Nightroad's birth had been highly anticipated by her extended family. Once Caterina had announced that she was pregnant, it seemed like everyone that they knew was deeply interested in the baby. Not that Abel blamed them. He himself had been over the moon at the news. The pregnancy really wasn't something he or Caterina had expected. For one thing, they hadn't been sure they would be able to have children.

But Caterina had a perfectly normal pregnancy, and as of twenty minutes ago, the world had welcome one little blond haired, blue eyed infant into her new life. Caterina looked exhausted but happy, and Abel knew that he probably had a very silly grin on his face as he watched her and their daughter together. Integra had ended up with clear blue eyes and soft blond fuzz covering her head. She was absolutely perfect in Abel's eyes. It was hard to believe that somehow they had produced this little girl.

Still, Abel knew that this moment of calm would not last. The doctor had given them fifteen minutes before she was letting those waiting outside into the hospital room. Given that nearly half of the AX Agents were waiting outside as well as Seth, Ion, and Astharoshe. Esther had also come from Albion along with several of her retainers, so there was quite a crowd out there. And once they got in here, Able doubted there would be any peace and quite. Not that he was expecting much peace and quiet in his life now that he had a child. The sage advice that had been given to had been: sleep whenever you can. It might not be perhaps the most philosophical of advice, but at least it was rather practical.

"Are you ready for the horde to descend?"

Caterina rolled her eyes at him. "Abel. Once they get concrete evidence that our daughter exists, they'll calm down some. Besides, now is a good time to start recruiting babysitters before they realized just how much work a baby is."

Abel leaned in and kissed her forehead. "If you say so, but if they start wearing you out, let me know, and I'll shoo them out."

The baby in her arms gurgled softly, and Caterina just smiled. "Abel, open the door and let the nice people meet your daughter."

Abel just grinned and headed for the door. He doubted that even a concrete barrier would keep their family away. But that was all right. These first few moments with their daughter might be over, but Abel was pretty sure that the future held plenty more moments with his family.


	21. My Angels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after the end of the anime. Theme 4: Treasure.

**My Angels**

Caterina bit back a smile as she entered the room. She had been in search of her husband and daughter, and now she had found the. Both of them were asleep on the chaise lounge in her private study. Integra was sprawled across her father's chest, one of her little hands clutching his lapel. The eighteen month old was sound asleep. It seemed that Abel had not only managed to get their daughter to take her nap but had also succumbed to sleep himself. The two of them made an absolutely adorable picture together.

She headed for her desk in order to grab the camera that she knew was there. There was no way Caterina was going to miss capturing this moment. She smiled at the two of them. They were the greatest treasures Caterina had, and there was never a time when she wasn't grateful for them both. There was a time when Caterina had honestly believed that she would never have anything resembling a family other than her AX Agents. Thankfully, that had not been the case, and she now had a family of her own.

Abel was a wonderful father despite his own doubts, and Integra seemed to be a very happy child. She was a fairly quiet child most of the time, but the little girl had a breathtaking smile that she shared freely. They both completed Caterina's life in a way that she hadn't expected. Despite all of the hardship and trials both she and Abel had been through, it all seemed worth it. She was here with her family, and it was looking like her daughter would have a future were peace would be a lasting reality.

Snapping her picture, Caterina smiled at the two of them sleeping peacefully. Her family was such an amazing gift. If she ever needed a concrete reason for why she had worked so hard to fight for peace, they were it. Setting the camera aside, Caterina gently kissed Integra's cheek and then Abel's forehead. With a smile, she left them to sleep.


	22. Sweeter Than Wine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after the end of the anime. Theme 8: Substance Addiction.

**Sweeter Than Wine**

Abel was quite aware that this was perhaps not his wisest move. However, he couldn't seem to help himself. And it wasn't entirely his fault. Abel personally blamed Leon. Things had been fairly normal and quiet since he and Ion had returned from dealing with Cain. Ion was now comfortably ensconced in Albion with his new wife, Queen Esther, and Abel was back to the routine life of an AX Agent. All though there did not seem to be quite as many emergencies for the AX to deal with lately.

Anyway, at the annual AX Christmas event, Abel and Caterina had somehow managed to get trapped under the mistletoe, and Leon had insisted that they kiss. It hadn't been that significant of a kiss, just a mere pressing of their lips together, but Abel had found himself addicted to kissing her. And it wasn't like Caterina was complaining about him stealing kisses off and on over the course of the past few months. In fact, she had stolen a couple of kisses of her own.

However, the problem was that the more Abel kissed Caterina, the more he wanted to kiss her. Which explained why he was currently sneaking into her study. Besides, it was close enough to lunch that Caterina probably should take a break. Hearing voices in her study, Abel hovered around the doorway, waiting for her visitors to leave. Before too long, several priests filed out of the room, and he slipped into the room once they had gone.

Caterina was seated at her desk, bent over a stack of paperwork. She didn't look up from her work as he approached.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to give me a moment before we can get our appointment started."

"You're working too hard again, Caterina."

She looked up with a smile, "You're one to talk."

"When was the last time you took a break?"

The woman just shrugged. "It's almost lunch time. I'll take a break then."

"How about now?"

"What do you have in mind?"

He pulled her to her feet. Glancing around the room, Abel looked for a place where they wouldn't be interrupted. Spying a closet by the door, he quickly pulled Caterina inside.

"Abel, what-"

Abel caught her off guard, pushed her up against the closet's concrete wall, and kissed her.

Caterina was crushed against him, her mouth warm and open under his own. Caterina tasted of tea, honey, and vanilla, and she was kissing him back. She nuzzled his neck and pressed kisses to his throat. The sound of footsteps outside the closet caused the two of them to pause their actions as they waited for the person to go away. Caterina leaned against him. She was breathless and looked a little dazed. Abel couldn't help himself. He needed to kiss her again.

Still, it was probably not a good idea for the two of them to get caught making out in a closet. With a great deal of regret, Abel pulled away. Caterina just smiled at him.

"I should get back to work. I'm heading to lunch in an hour. You should join me."

She stole one last kiss before slipping out of the closet. Abel just stood there with a silly grin on his face. He was definitely addicted to Caterina Sforza's kisses, and Abel doubted that he would be giving his addiction up anytime soon.


	23. We Band of Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 20: Against All Odds.

**We Band of Brothers**

None of them were quite sure how they had gotten roped into this. Wordsworth couldn't help but wonder if they were being punished for something. It was a rather odd assignment, especially considering that three of the AX's top agents had been assigned to it. Wordsworth surveyed the townhouse in Albion that Cardinal Sforza inhabited during her visits to that country.

"Are you paying attention, Wordsworth?" the Cardinal asked. "Now as I was saying, they've already had dinner. They can have dessert in an hour, not more than one serving of either cookies or ice cream. A serving of cookies is two cookies and a glass of milk. They can choose one or the other, not both. They may not watch anymore TV this evening. Bedtime is at eight for Integra and Abel. Laura and Radu may stay up until eight-thirty, but that is it. Make sure all of the children brush their teeth before they go to bed. Understood?"

Tres nodded. "Affirmative."

Cardinal Sforza gave all three of them a skeptical look. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

Wordsworth gave her a warm smile. "We'll be fine. Now go enjoy yourself."

So she and Abel swept off to join Queen Esther and Prince Consort Ion for a night out on the town, leaving Wordsworth, Tres, and Leon with four small children. The three oldest of them were Queen Esther's. Crown Princess Laura was the oldest at age seven closely followed by Prince Radu who was six. Prince Abel was the baby of the family at four years of age. Cardinal Sforza's three year old daughter, Integra, brought the compliment of children to four. Wordsworth smiled; how hard could watching them for the evening be? Esther's three children shared a look and then turned to their minders wearing the exact same smile. Wordsworth began seriously considering that they were being punished for something.

And then the chaos began. Tres was very quickly assigned to watch Integra because he was the only one who could keep up with her. The little blond three year old was as curious as a cat and seemed to have the ability to get into anything, no matter how dangerous. That left Wordsworth and Leon to deal with the three older children. Laura and Radu had immediately begun clamoring to watch some program on TV, and Wordsworth was not having much luck turning their attention to anything else. Abel wanted dessert. Now.

The children ended up getting their dessert a half an hour early. It had been a task and a half for Wordsworth to convince Laura and Radu that an early dessert was worth not being able to watch TV. Esther should seriously consider making her children government negotiators; Albion would get almost whatever they wanted that way. Tres managed to wrangle Integra into the kitchen, and then round two of the war began. It ended with crumbs in people's hair and sticky fingers.

Already worn and some what wary, the next challenged the three agents faced was bedtime. Neither Integra nor Abel was at all interested in going to bed at the appointed time. Just getting them into their pajamas and to brush their teeth was a fight in itself. Wordsworth and Leon dealt with this while Tres kept the other two from wreaking havoc. Leon ended up having to read _The Runaway Bunny_ five times before Integra would allow him to leave. Wordsworth only had read Abel's book twice, but then he was forced check the two night lights in the room at least three times before the child another glass of water. All and all, they found that younger two were tiring, but they were nothing compared to the older two when it came to bedtime.

Neither Laura nor Radu wanted a bedtime story. Nor did either of the children want to go to bed. And they were quite willing to argue with all three men about the issue. Thankfully, at least they didn't have any weapons that they could use against the agents other than a few miscellaneous toys and stuffed animals. Which were thrown at people, but they had all faced worse. The tears were another story. Laura was especially good at making them feel guilty.

It was nearly nine-thirty when the three men finally had all the children tucked into bed asleep. Weary, disheveled, and drained, the three men collapsed in the living room to wait for the return of Cardinal Sforza. But they had survived. When she returned nearly an hour later, only Tres was conscious but all was well. She dismissed them before heading to her daughter's room to kiss her goodnight. Somehow, she thought the threat of being forced to baby-sit again should keep the boys in line if she needed it.


	24. Heartsong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 13: Idol. This is AU.

**Heartsong**

Caterina sighed and glanced at the clock. It was almost lunch time. She was more than ready to take a break. When it came to business administration, she was very good at it. However, she didn't actually enjoy it all that much. Caterina had other things she wanted to do with her life, but at the moment, that wasn't possible. Well, it wasn't possible if Caterina wanted to stay in contact with her family. Her older brother would disown her in a minute if he found out about her ambitions. She was supposed to be a good little accountant.

As soon as her lunch hour began, Caterina was out of her office and on her way down the street. With a stop by a local café for something to eat, Caterina continued on to a small, non-descript building. The man at the front desk waved her on in without any questions, and Caterina quickly claimed one of the empty practice studios. Technically, there was no reason for her to be sneaking around to come here. She did own one third of Holy See Music after all. But her brother, who was the current CEO, wouldn't approve of the Chief Financial Officer of the company spending her lunch making music, and so her lunch time practice session remained a secret kept between herself and the staff of this particular studio.

She settled down at the piano and began to play. It wasn't long before she was singing along with the pieces she played. Caterina started with a few old favorites before trying a few things she had written herself. None of the songs were quite finished yet, but at least one of them was close. She was still tweaking some of the lyrics for it. After making another round of alterations, Caterina began to sing through it again. Letting the last note die away, she was startled by the sound of applause.

Abel Nightroad, the manager of that particular music studio, was standing in the doorway. He smiled at her. "That was lovely, Caterina."

Caterina blushed. "Thanks. It's not quite done yet."

"You could have fooled me. It sounded pretty complete."

She just shrugged. "I'm not entirely satisfied with it. I take it lunch is almost over?"

He just nodded. "Yes."

Caterina sighed. Time to get back to the daily grind then. She closed the piano lid and began gathering up her things. Abel bit his lip.

"I know I've said this before, Caterina, but you should really do something with your music. I've watched write over a dozen songs that never get heard any where but here. It's a waste of your talent, and we both know that you're not happy with the way things stand either."

She looked away. "I know, but I can't turn my back on my family."

"I don't think that you taking up music is turning you back on your family. Francesco can afford to hire another accountant to do your job, and your music isn't going to steal Alessandro's fan base." Abel grinned at her. "No offense, Caterina, but you're not about to be the next idol for the hordes of teenage girls out there."

She laughed at that. "True enough."

"Think about it, Caterina. There's an open mike night at a club I know coming up, and it would be a good place to test the waters."

"I'll think about it," she promised.

She made her way back to her office, but Caterina found that she couldn't quite get Abel's advice off her mind. He was right on a number of counts. She had no concrete reason to believe that it would be a betrayal. Francesco could afford to replace her, and the company could easily attract another accountant of the best caliber. Alessandro was well on his way to a career in music himself. He was already an international sensation, and his concerts were sold out for the next year. Both the company and her brother's careers would be secure even if she did leave to do something else.

And Caterina loved creating music. It was probably the brightest spot in her life right now. Making music made her happy, and she would love to try doing just solely that. It wasn't like she couldn't afford to give it a try. She had always been careful with her money, and most of her inheritance had been squirreled away as a sizable nest egg for some future event or project. So what it really came down to was if she was willing to risk upsetting her family in order to follow her dreams. Her brothers were all she had left, and while they might not be that close, Caterina did love and care about them.

So she played with the idea in the back of her mind all through the next week. Abel didn't bring the subject up again, but Caterina knew it was on his mind as well. They ran across one another fairly frequently at his studio. But Abel didn't press the subject which she appreciated. Despite her better judgment, Caterina found herself arranging possible performance orders and trying to choice which songs would make for the best short performance.

Part of her had already made her decision, but Caterina wasn't ready to admit it to herself. She had been the dutiful sister for so long that it was hard to think about doing something else. But this was what she wanted, and it felt like it was the right thing to do. So Thursday afternoon when she took her lunch break, the first thing that Caterina did was search out Abel. She found him in his office.

Her friend smiled at her. "What can I do for you, Caterina?"

"Remember that open mike night you mentioned?" She bit her lip. "I think I'd like to go."

"Really? It's in three days. I'll pick you up if you'd like."

Caterina nodded. "Yes, please. What time?"

"I'll pick you up at seven-thirty."

With those plans made, Caterina headed off to the practice room. She wanted to be as ready as possible when Sunday night rolled around. Caterina knew that nothing she did would get rid of her nervousness, but at least she could be well prepared for her performance. She had chosen to perform three songs. Two of her own that were her favorites of what she had written, and one standard that was a favorite tune of hers to sing. Caterina hoped that picking things she liked would make a difference. Quite honestly, she had never performed a group larger than a handful of her own friends.

When Sunday evening rolled around, Caterina was dressed in a sleek red dress and her hair loose and tumbling down her back in curls. She didn't know if the outfit was a little too formal for an open mike night, but it made her feel beautiful and confident, so she stuck with it. Abel arrived at her door only a few minutes late. He grinned at her.

"You look great, Caterina. Ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be." She clutched the folder of sheet music in one hand. She didn't actually need it at this point, but the young woman figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

Abel wrapped his hand around hers. "Come on."

The club actually wasn't too far away from her townhouse which was a good thing. Caterina spent the entire trip there ringing her hands. Abel escorted her inside the club and led her backstage to a small room with a couch.

"I figured you'd go crazy waiting the audience." Abel shrugged off his coat. "Besides, you'll be the third one out on stage, so it's not like you'll be missing much. Did I tell you about the latest fiasco that Leon got himself into?"

He kept her entertained for the next twenty-five minutes with stories of their friends and acquaintances with each story being more outrageous than the last. Finally, it was time to go. With a hand at the small of her back, Abel escorted her to the stage entrance.

Abel smiled at her encouragingly and kissed her cheek. "Break a leg, Caterina."

With a deep breath, Caterina stepped out onto the stage and took her seat at the piano. Her fingers began their dance over the keys, and Caterina sang.


	25. I Will Follow Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 23: Serial.

**I Will Follow Her**

Caterina was a hair's breath from complete and utter panic. She was terrified and probably rightly so. This was not the first time she had been kidnapped, but it definitely was the most serious incident. She did not scare easily, but the man who had taken her had a very loose connection to reality, and he had already proved that he was willing to take human life with barely a pause for thought. While Caterina hoped that some of the security guards had been found in time to save their lives, she was fairly certain that most of the men were dead.

Sprawled across a stone floor with her hands bound behind her, Caterina was well aware that her best hope of surviving this experience was having Abel find her before she was killed. There was no doubt that the man planned on killing her. He had told her so. And she knew he had killed seven nuns previously. She had AX agents looking into this man. Caterina only hoped that that they had found enough information in order to find her.

Two months ago the murders had started. Nuns all over the Vatican controlled territory were being killed. They had been drained of blood, but other than that, there had been no real confirmation that a vampire had been involved. In fact, the Empire had been helping them look into the murders. But as far as they could tell, other than the victims, there was no pattern in the murders. In fact, if she wasn't absolutely sure that she would probably come out of this situation dead, Caterina knew that she could definitely be expanding their knowledge of the serial killer. However, at this point, she didn't think that would help.

She tried her best to ignore the pain in her wrists. She had already rubbed them raw trying to escape from the ropes that bound her. Her captor hadn't noticed that though, and he wasn't currently paying much attention to her either. Then again, he was certain that she couldn't escape. Instead, the man seemed to be busy setting up an altar of some sort. But what really concerned Caterina was the crystal decanter that was full of a dark red liquid. All of the women who were victims before her had die due to loss of blood.

Caterina held onto the hope that Abel would be able to find her. She shivered as much for the cold concrete she was laying on as from her terror. It wouldn't be much longer before she was numb. Part of her hoped that she would be numb by the time that her captor got around to putting her on the altar, but she was rapidly losing hope. She curled up as best she could and tried not to think about what was coming.

It wasn't long before her captor made his way over her with a smile on his face that chilled Caterina's blood. He dispassionately began cutting her clothes off with his knife, leaving her only in the thin chemise that went under her habit. Caterina tried to remain as motionless as possible. The knife was clearly sharp, and Caterina didn't want it any closer to her than it had to be. Once her cardinal's habit had been stripped away, Caterina was lifted off her feet and carried over to the makeshift altar. Her hands were secured over her head, and then her feet were bound together, though not as tightly.

Still, they were secure enough to keep her from escaping. Caterina had kicked at them and tried to wiggle out of them to no avail. She wasn't going any where. The man smiled down at her.

"Don't fret, little one. It won't be long before you're with God. And you're blood will serve a higher purpose."

The only purpose Caterina was interested in having her blood serve was running through her own veins and keeping her alive.

The man's smile widened. "Now. We begin."

A door slammed somewhere close by. The man looked away, and Caterina did her best to wriggle as far away from his as she could. Abel had found them. She hoped. But her captor returned, now frowning.

"Forgive me, little one. This will be far less elegant than you deserve."

He raised the knife, and Caterina closed her eyes, bracing for the sting of the blade. It didn't come. Then there was a splattering sound and thud. Almost against her will, Caterina's eyes opened. A familiar silver haired figure stood above her. Abel looked furious. Caterina had not seen him in this state in years. Not since Isaak von Kämpfer had tried to kill her. Then he turned his attention her. The next thing she knew, her bonds had been cut and Caterina had been scooped up off the altar and held tightly in Abel's arms. Abel cradled her close, wrapping his wings around them. At this point, Caterina was more than willing to fall into his arms and have hysterics. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"You're safe now, Caterina. I've got you."

That was the last thing she remembered before passing out.


	26. Hope and Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after the end of the anime. Theme 15: Ikebana.

**Hope and Love**

The cathedral was a riot of color. There were representatives here from all three major powers, and for once, there was no political wrangling or arguments. No, everyone was actually behaving themselves for the wedding of Queen Esther of Albion to Ion Fortuna, the Earl of Mephis. Both the bride and groom looked radiant as Alessandro gave them the final blessing. Caterina had quite a view of the entire event. She was the maid of honor.

Overall, she would say that the wedding was a success. Not only did it represent a solid alliance between all three powers, but it was a good match for the two people involved personally. It was an arranged marriage, but there was an underlying affection between Esther and Ion, and Caterina felt that they would be able to forge a good permanent partnership. And according to Abel, they would probably be very happy with one another.

Hopefully, this union would help bring a lasting peace between all parties involved. Everyone had done their best to make it a memorable event. While there had been some quarrelling over many of the details, all three groups had contributed help and expertise to make the wedding happen. Caterina herself had found herself being put in charge of much of the bridal party's wardrobe due to her estate near Milan. A noble from the Empire had taken care of the all the floral arrangements, creating beautiful ikebana creations. And Albion had come up with a young chef to provide the wedding feast whose meals so far had all been scrumptious, and the wedding cake he had made was nothing short of fantastic.

Abel caught her eye from his position across the chancel and winked at her. He had the honor of giving Esther away, and he'd be escorting Caterina back down the aisle once the bridal party was started to leave. Which hopefully would be soon. Her shoes might be pretty, but after standing in them for nearly two hours, Caterina's feet were killing her. The marble floor was not helpful either.

Esther and Ion finally kissed. Caterina smiled. There was concrete hope for the future. They broke the kiss as the recessional began to play and began their procession down the aisle. Abel reached for Caterina's hand, and the two of them followed the happy couple down the aisle and towards the future.


	27. Everybody Needs Somebody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 12: Ex. This is AU.

**Everybody Needs Somebody**

Caterina Sforza huddled in her bed, eyes fixed on her window. Her blinds were drawn, but she could still see some things out there. She was watching for movement. Maybe no one else had believed her so far, but Caterina knew she was being watched. It had been going on for at least a week now. And she couldn't seem to convince anyone that she was really being stalked.

A noise outside the window made Caterina start, clutching her blankets tighter. She hated this. She hated being so scared in her own home, and she hated that no one would listen to her when she told them what was going on. Her brothers and her uncle had brushed her concerns off. Her co-workers thought she was overreacting. But Caterina felt eyes on her wherever she went any more, and it was taking its toll.

The worst part was she was pretty sure she knew exactly who was stalking her. It was Isaak von Kämpfer, her ex-boyfriend. Her Uncle Alfonso had set them up, and it had been a relationship that hadn't gone well (at least for Caterina) from the start. She had been very happy when they had finally broken up even though it had been rather ugly, but both her uncle and her brother Francesco had been unhappy about that development. And Isaak had made it clear that he was very open to the idea of them getting back together. Caterina wasn't interested, but Isaak did not like to take no for an answer when it came to anything. The man was obsessive and used to getting his way. It also didn't help that he was rich and tended to get away with things as well.

But she had no proof that it was Isaak, and no one would take her seriously about being stalked. She didn't have anything to take to law enforcement at this point, but the whole situation felt like she was loosing control over her own life. It was hard to do anything without feeling she was being watched any more, and she was honestly more scared than not most of the time. A scrapping noise against her window made Caterina jump again, and that was what decided her. Throwing off her covers, she padded over to her closet. Pulling out a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt, Caterina started getting dressed. She wasn't going to get any rest here tonight, and she was tired of being scared. There was one person she could count on right now, and she was immensely thankful he had gotten back into town last night. If anyone would believe her, it would be Abel.

* * *

Knocking at his door woke Abel Nightroad. He winced when he saw what time it was, but he doubted that someone would be visiting him at this hour if it wasn't important. Especially since he'd barely been back in town twenty-four hours. He rolled out of bed, pulled on a robe, and headed for the door. Abel yawned and answered the door. He pulled it open and blinked. Caterina showing up on his doorstep at three in the morning was not a normal occurrence.

And everything about her told him something was wrong. From the sloppy ponytail her hair had been pulled into to the dark circles beneath her eyes to her mismatched socks.

"Caterina?"

"Can I come in?"

"Of course." He stepped aside allowing her to enter. "What's wrong?"

That question was enough for Caterina to unravel. His normally calm and collected friend breaking into hysterical tears startled Abel, but he had the presence of mind to shut and lock his front door before wrapping her in a warm hug. She was crying too hard for him to understand what she was saying, but it was clear that she was terrified and upset. Abel led her towards his couch and sat down, pulling her after him. Abel gently stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. He let her cry herself out, hoping that once she had done that he'd be able to get the full story.

It took nearly fifteen minutes for Caterina's sobs to lessen and her breathing to calm. Still, she was shaking badly, and Abel wasn't sure she was ready to talk yet. A cup of hot tea was in order. After wrapping an afghan around Caterina's shoulders, Abel headed to the kitchen, grateful that a breakfast bar was the only thing separating the room from his living room. Caterina's behavior worried him. Abel had known her since she was a teenager, and there had been very few times he's ever seen her in such a state. The last time had been just after her parents had been killed.

Caterina Sforza had been his best friend for years now. She had given him hope and something to live for after the worst events in his life, and Abel was not sure that he would have made it without Caterina's help and support. He didn't know what had put Caterina in such a state now, but Abel would do whatever he could to help her. After pouring two mugs of lemon tea for them, Abel added cream and sugar then returned to Caterina.

Her hands were shaking too hard to hold the mug at first. He had helped her drink have the mug of tea before they steadied. But with the steadying of her hands, Caterina seemed to be more herself and more in control. Abel sat back and sipped his own tea, waiting for her gather her thoughts. She would tell him what was going on when she was ready. And when the story poured out, it was in bits and pieces.

She had started dating Isaak von Kämpfer six months ago while Abel had been on business trip. She had gotten into the relationship under pressure from her uncle, and she had been ready to call it off rather quickly. Unfortunately for Caterina, her family had been against that idea, and she had stuck with Isaak for four months before finally ending the relationship. It had been a nasty breakup from Caterina's account of it, and Isaak apparently hadn't taken it well.

That was when Caterina start feeling like she was being watched. It started out as infrequent but over the past two months it had intensified to the point where she felt as though someone was watching and following her all the time. And apparently, no one had believed her when she had told them about it, and she had no evidence to take to the authorities. Caterina let out a sigh.

"I just can't deal with this any more. I'm sick of being scared all the time." She offered him a small smile. "I don't what I can do without concrete proof, but this has to stop."

"You're right. But the first order of business is you getting some rest. You're too strung out to thing straight." Abel smiled at her. "You can crash in my guest room, and tomorrow we'll figure out how to tackle your problem."

There was relief on her face. "Thank you."

Abel pulled her into another hug. "You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, let's get you into bed. You look like you haven't gotten a decent nights rest in weeks."

It didn't take Abel long to get her tucked into bed. He kissed her forehead. "Rest. You're safe now."

She caught his sleeve before he could leave. "Stay. Please."

He smiled and nodded. "All right."

Abel curled up on top of the covers beside her. Tomorrow they would tackle her stalker problem, but tonight, he'd stay beside her and guard her sleep.


	28. Here With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after the end of the anime. Theme 9: Stolen Identity.

**Here With Me**

Abel kept a close eye on Caterina as she circulated around the party. So far the diplomatic mission to the Empire had gone very well. Of course, it helped that Seth had taken an immediate liking to Caterina. The two women got along quite well which did make diplomatic negotiations much easier. Now if they could just get rid of the rest of the diplomats, they might actually make some progress. However, real peace was finally in sight for the two powers, and Abel was well aware that there were any number of people would prefer that a peace agreement not be reached. He would do his best to make sure that nothing happened to Caterina. She was their best hope in order to get this treaty off the ground, and if she was killed, the entire endeavor could be lost.

All it took was a moment where he glanced away for everything to fall apart. Caterina had been talking with a fellow emissary from the Vatican one moment and then her scream had still all other noise in the room. Abel was by her side within minutes, but by then it was too late. He knew as soon as he saw the wound that they wouldn't be able to save her before she bled out. Not even the Empire's technology could save her at this point. His chest was tight. Once again he hadn't been able to protect someone he loved.

Seth appeared at his side. His younger sister had been at the party, though not in her capacity as Empress. Mirka Fortuna was still acting as her decoy.

"Come on, Abel. We don't have much time."

He gazed blankly at her face. "Time?"

Seth sighed. "There is an option. But we don't have much time to act, and we have to go now."

Any chance of saving Caterina was worth trying. Abel scooped Caterina up in his arms and followed Seth as she slipped into a secret passage, guards moving to cover their exit. The winding passage led to a state of the art lab whose design was more than a little familiar to Abel. Seth instructed him to place on one of the tables, and Abel instantly understood his sister's plan. He didn't know if it would work. Caterina Sforza had not been bioengineered for the purpose of being injected with nanaomachines. But Caterina would die without help. Abel couldn't lose her too. It would have to be a chance he took if he wanted to save her.

"It might not work," she warned. "We both know what can go wrong."

Abel cupped the cardinal's pale face. Her grey eyes opened a sliver at his touch, and Caterina offered a glimmer of a smile.

"Abel? I'm sorry."

He knew why she was apologizing, even if she had no reason to. Caterina knew his full history, and she knew how much he'd lost over the years. And she especially knew that he did not deal with loosing those he cared about well.

"Not your fault, Cat. We're going to try something in order to save you." He bit his lip. "Is that okay?"

He had to give her the choice. As much as he didn't want to lose her, Abel wasn't entirely sure he could survive having her hate him for saving her either. She nodded weakly, and Abel kissed her forehead before signaling Seth. With in moments, Caterina was unconscious again being injected with the nanomachines.

Seth came to stand beside him, reaching out and gently stroking Caterina's hair. "Now we wait."

Neither of them knew how long this would take if it worked. There were too many different variables involved. They had nothing to base a concrete outcome on in this case. Abel found his mind occupied with what they would do if it worked. Even if they did manage to save Caterina's life, this would change things for her. For one thing, in some ways they had stolen her identity. She would no longer be a human, and Abel knew full well the problems that might arise from that. But he couldn't give up on the hope that they could save her. He had loved Caterina since the young woman had given him a place and purpose in life all those years ago. It had deepened into something more serious over the years of their friendship, even though Abel had never pursued it.

Forty-five minutes after the process began, Caterina stirred. Abel reached out and caught her hand in his own, squeezing it slightly.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. "Abel?"

Abel let out a sigh of relief. It had worked. He smiled. "Hey. Welcome back."


	29. You've Got Mail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theme 26: Chat Room. This is AU.

**You've Got Mail**

Caterina let her apartment door close with a sigh and kicked off her heels. Thank god that work was over with for the day. Today had been an absolute nightmare, and she had been trapped at the office nearly four hours longer than she had planned. All she wanted now was a hot shower and a warm dinner. Well, that and to check her email. With any luck, she would have a new message from her pen pal.

Those emails had become the brightest spots in her day. She had found her pen pal by fluke. They had met by chance in a chat room that Caterina had gone into on a dare. She had struck up a conversation about music and literature with one NightTraveler, and it had somehow turned into a friendship despite the fact that two of them had never met. But NightTraveler provided Caterina with the encouragement and support she couldn't seem to find anywhere else, and his emails were always kind and thoughtful. Caterina hoped she was being as good a friend to him as he was to her.

She turned on her computer and went about divesting herself of her business suit as she waited for the computer boot up. Caterina might be a successful business woman, but she didn't enjoy the clothing that went with it. It seemed to take forever for her computer to boot up and connect to the internet. And once it had, Caterina immediately checked her email. There was one new message waiting there for her.

_Cat,_

_Thanks for the book recommendation. You were right. It was a lot better than it sounded from the blurb on the back of the book. I hope your presentation went well. I know you were nervous, but it sounded like you knew the material cold. I'm sure things went fine. I've got to run, but let me know how things went._

_Night_

She grinned. Five minutes later, she had a pot simmering on the stove for pasta, and she was hard at work on her reply. The presentation had gone well, thank goodness. Half an hour later, dinner was a memory and her reply had been sent. Caterina was actually hoping that she might get a reply back tonight. That had happened on occasion. But when she went off to her shower, there was still no reply.

There was one waiting for her in the morning though.

_Cat,_

_Glad it went well. Have a great morning._

_Night_

* * *

Abel grinned he opened the email. Once again he had a new email from his pen pal. He so wanted to meet her in person. Cat was funny and charming, and she was everything that he had ever looked for in a friend. He was glad they had stumbled upon one another in that chat-room.

_Night,_

_I'm off to work. Hope your day goes well. Mine's full of boring meetings, but at least I get an extra long lunch break today. I'm treating myself to a hot cinnamon roll. It might not be healthy, but at least it makes me feel better. Talk to you later_.

_Cat_

His day wasn't going to be much better than hers, but he would be starting it with a smile. The only problem was the more they emailed each other back and forth, the more Abel wanted to spend time with her in person. Perhaps the real Cat wasn't like the online one, but Abel rather doubted that.

Of course, he would have to figure out how to make the invitation to meet in person that wouldn't be all stalkerish or creepy. He didn't want to scare Cat off or ruin their friendship. But he did want to meet her in person, and he wanted her in his life. He just wasn't sure what the best way was to make that happen. He'd figure something out eventually though. For now, he'd better hurry if he wanted to make it to work on time.

Work wasn't anything special or interesting today. Abel was grateful when the day was over, and he could head home. There wasn't anything new from Cat waiting for him unfortunately. Still, perhaps she had been stuck at work late. Neither of them tended to email from work. Still there was no word before he went to bed and nothing in the morning either. It worried Abel a little, but he understood why something like that might happen. So on his lunch break, he checked again.

There was a message waiting for him, and it wasn't good.

_Night,_

_Sorry to dump on you, but I've got to vent or I'm going to snap and kill someone. Probably a relative of mine. I'm only half way through my day, and yet things can't get much worse. Everything that could possible go wrong has. I've been late, missed meals, had things spilled on me. My clothes are a mess, and my change of clothes at the office turned out to be a victim of the same. I'm missing papers, files, even my wallet. I've been chewed out by at least three people today, one of them was a complete stranger. I've been insulted both to my face and behind my back. And the day isn't over yet. God, would someone shoot me now? This is the worst day of my life, and no one besides you cares. When today is over, I just want to go home and curl up in ball and cry. Except there's nothing to eat at my place. I was supposed to go grocery shopping tonight. Not that that will probably happen now. I'm sorry. I'm being completely whiny right now. But no one else will listen to me. Thanks. I'll drop you a line later._

_Cat_

Abel sighed. That sounded like on hell of a day. Poor Cat. There really wasn't much he could do for her except offer sympathy. It was the kind of day when it was nice to have a friend drop by with food and a silly movie. Of course, since he didn't know where Cat lived or even her real name, that was a little difficult. Still, he wanted to so something nice for her. Especially given the day she was having. An idea popped into Abel's head, and he began to type.

* * *

Upon reaching the sanctuary of her apartment, Caterina let out a deep sigh and slumped back against the door once it had been shut behind. Today has probably been the worst day of her entire life. It had even felt worse than the night of the car accident that had killed her parents. She dumped her bag on the floor and gratefully kicked of her shoes. She'd have to throw out the pair now that the heel had snapped off on the one shoe. She didn't bother to turn on the lights as she made her way over to the computer. Caterina turned it on, and then turned her attention to doing something about her own very sorry state.

After a very brief (and very cold despite the fact that she shouldn't have been out of hot water) shower, Caterina managed to scrounge up at something clean to wear, even if it was a pair of yoga pants, a tank top, and an extremely ratty sweatshirt from college. Sitting down, Caterina logged into her email, half hoping that there was a reply, half hoping there wasn't. It was a little embarrassing to have sent that whiny email, but at the time she had really needed to vent a little before she really did something she regretted.

There was a new message waiting for her.

_Cat,_

_You have my utmost sympathy. You day sounds hellish so far. I hope it gets better. You don't have to take me up on this, but I would be more than happy offer pizza and silly movies this evening to cheer you up. It sounds like you definitely need an evening without having to worry about anything. Let me know what you want to do. My address is 402 SE Terra Ave., Apartment #702. I'd love to meet you, but it's okay if you don't want to. Hope your day has gotten better._

_Night_

She bit her lip, unsure of how to answer the email. She wanted to take him up on the offer. It sounded like exactly what she needed tonight. But what would meeting Night in person do to their friendship? Would it ruin it or make it stronger? Caterina had no concrete evidence to help her predict things either way. Whatever choice she made, it was a leap into the unknown. Caterina liked to be certain of things. She liked to make informed decisions, but this time that wasn't possible. Either way, she might be kissing an important relationship goodbye. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard uncertain what to type, and then finally, she made a decision.

* * *

A tall blond woman with a messy braid in what looked like work out clothes knocked at an apartment door. It opened to reveal a man a few years older than she was with long silver hair. He grinned at her.

"Are you Cat then?"

She blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes. I'm Caterina Sforza."

He smiled. "Abel Nightroad. Come on in. Our pizza just got here."


	30. You and Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after the end of the anime. Theme 28: Hum.

**You and Me**

Caterina wasn't sure what Abel was up to. She knew that her husband was up to something, but he hadn't let so much of a hint of what it was slip out. There wasn't anything special going on. No birthdays or their wedding anniversary. Nothing much was actually going on. There was a lull in things currently. There had been no major international incidents, no meetings or summits to attend, no major events at all. The only thing recently had been discovering that she was pregnant, and that had been almost two months ago now.

So when he interrupted her in her study where she'd curled up with a book, Caterina was more than a little curious. Especially since Able just popped his head in the room and said, "Come with me."

"Where to?"

"It's a surprise."

She arched an eyebrow at him but climbed out of the window seat anyway, setting her book aside. He takes her hand in his and leads her outside to the garden behind their villa. Abel escorted out to a flat piece of lawn beneath an arbor before taking her into his arms and kissing her gently. Caterina kissed him back. They might have been married for nearly two years now, but she never tired of this. She fit perfectly into his arms. But then she always had. Abel smiled when he drew back. "Dance with me?"

Caterina sighed contentedly and let him lead her in the steps of the dance as began to hum a soft tune. Caterina nestled her head on his shoulder, feeling both happy and content.

"So, what's the occasion?"

Abel rest his cheek on her hair. "Today is the day we first met all those years ago. You might not have known it then, but you saved my life that day. You gave me something to live for again. I had no real, concrete reason to leave Lilith's tomb until you needed me, and then you didn't turn me away when all was said and done. You made a place for me in both your life and the world. I don't know if I ever would have left Lilith's tomb let alone rejoined the world if it hadn't been for you."

She smiled. "You're not the only one who has benefited from the relationship. Without you I would have been even more on my own. You have always been the one person I could always count on, the person I could just be Caterina with. I've never had to worry about politics with you or censor my feelings. You've always supported my dreams even when no one else thought they were possible. I'd say we both are lucky."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You're probably right."

"I know I am."

Together they continued dancing.


End file.
